Tuvan People's Republic

The Tuvan People's Republic, also known as Tannu Tuva, was a satellite state of the Soviet Union that existed from 14 August 1921 to 11 October 1944, with Kyzyl serving as its capital. In January 1920, during the Russian Civil War, communist troops took Tuva, and the Tuvans declared independence from their Chinese overlords. The Bolsheviks formed the Tuvan People's Republic on 14 August 1921, and the capital of Khem-Beldir was renamed to Kyzyl. In 1926, the Soviet Union affirmed the country's independence, but it was not formally recognized by any other countries, instead being considered to be a satellite state of the USSR. The Tuvan People's Revolutionary Party was the ruling party of the single-party socialist republic, and Donduk Kuular was Prime Minister of Tuva from 1924 until his overthrow in a Soviet-backed coup in 1929. Kuular's pro-Mongolian, anti-Soviet, and Buddhist views led to the Soviets having him ousted from power and executed, increasing the USSR's influence in Tuva. During the Great Purge, a third of the party membership was purged, and the Soviets pushed collectivization in the traditionally nomadic country. The new government was pushed by Stalin to destroy Buddhism and animism, and it succeeded in reducing the number of Buddhist lamas and animist shamans from 4,000 in 1929 to 15 lamas and 725 shamans in 1931; however, its attempts at collectivization were less successful. In 1941, Tannu Tuva entered World War II and provided minor military assistance to the USSR, and its parliament voted to join the USSR in 1944. Tuva became the Tuvan Autonomous Oblast on 11 October 1944.